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DMS EXPO: PDF/A Competence Center Shows Applications for PDF/A-2

September 21, 2010 (Stuttgart) – For the fifth time now, the PDF/A Competence Center will be present at the DMS EXPO with an interesting mix of lectures and solution presentations at its exhibition stand (7A77).

Integrated handling of the large number of PDF standards in DMS and ECM environments will be an important focus. The upcoming new part of the standard for PDF/A-2 is a key topic. Members present at the stand will include representatives of Adobe Systems, callas software, Compart, Crawford Technologies, Docucom (Switzerland), InovoOlution, LuraTech Europe and SEAL Systems. PDF Tools will also be present as a logo partner.

Moreover, on October 25, the day before the start of the DMS EXPO, the PDF/A Competence Center will also offer a half-day seminar at the International Congress Center (ICS) in Stuttgart. Participants at this event will get a well-grounded overview of ISO standards for PDF, such as PDF/A-2, PDF/UA and PDF/E from a neutral perspective and, among other things, will learn about signatures in PDF and the specifications and recommendations in this context.

This year, the DMS EXPO will be held from October 26 to 28, 2010 in Stuttgart.

Even after the change of location to Stuttgart, the PDF/A Competence Center will continue to participate actively in knowledge transfer at the DMS EXPO. PDF/A has become established as a preferred archiving format.

Increasing numbers of companies and public authorities benefit from the advantages of the standardized ISO format in their archiving strategy, including the fidelity of layout and full text search capability in PDF/A files. The area for for the PDF/A Competence Center at the DMS EXPO is divided into a lecture section and an exhibit area where the companies represented will demonstrate how PDF/A documents can be produced from electronic or scanned files. There visitors can not only become acquainted with the advantages of PDF/A but also learn about such topics as metadata support, e-mail archiving with PDF/A, and PDF/A-2.

This year, the PDF/A Competence Center is also taking a wider view, because in the meantime a whole range of ISO standards have developed for PDF. This will be discussed from an integrated perspective along with their use in DMS/ECM environments. Another key topic will be the new part of the standard, PDF/A-2, which is expected to be adopted soon. The continued development of the standard will be highlighted: PDF/A-1 was defined on the basis of PDF version 1.4. PDF/A-2, which is based on the independent ISO standard 32000-1, uses functions which are only available in PDF version 1.7 and later versions.

As Harald Grumser, CEO of the PDF/A Competence Center, explained, Some providers have already updated their products in anticipation of PDF/A-2 in order to support the new part of the ISO standard. The meaning of this will be one of the major topics of this years trade show appearance.

Daily lecture program on PDF/A topics

In the daily schedule of lectures, DMS visitors will get a overview of the PDF/A standard and will learn about the use of PDF/A-2 in different scenarios based on specific solutions. Among other things, the experts will detail appropriate workflows with Adobe Acrobat or the use of PDF/A-2 for scanned documents. Other presentations on the agenda include conversion to color PDF/A files for InputAccel users, dealing with electronic signatures in PDF/A or PDF/A-compliant archiving of e-mail messages, web pages and digitally created documents, and metadata.

Migration to the long-term archiving format and its uses for outgoing mail and product data management are also topics dealt with by the co-exhibitors. For international visitors, the afternoon will feature a presentation in English on the basics of PDF/A.

Those who first want to get a condensed overview without a particular bias for any provider before the start of the DMS EXPO also have the opportunity to attend a half-day PDF/A seminar on October 25. This will be the fifth time the PDF/A Competence Center has held such an event with the latest updated information. It enables participants to make the connection between theory and practice easily and be well prepared for the trade show on the day after. This year, the topics covered by the seminar include ISO standards related to PDF as well as PDF/A-2, scanning to
PDF/A, signatures and the interplay of PDF/A and PDF/E in the field of engineering. Bernhard Zoeller, a noted ECM expert and CEO of Zoeller & Partner, concerns himself with misunderstandings and myths regarding
PDF/A and will speak about realities and practice. Other experts from the management board of the PDF/A Competence Center will also provide valuable insights in their presentations.

About PDF/A

The ISO 19005 standard (PDF/A) defines requirements for creating documents suitable for archiving based on the widely available PDF format.

The standard specifies in detail what content is allowed and what is not. These and other specifications are intended to ensure long-term readability of the documents regardless of the application software and operating system in which they were originally produced. The advantages of PDF/A such as full-text search capabilities have led it to already replace TIFF as the preferred archiving format in numerous international governmental organizations as well as in private industries.

About the PDF/A Competence Center

The PDF/A Competence Center was established as an international association in 2006. The objective of the association is to promote the exchange of information and experience in the field of long-term archiving in accordance with ISO 19005 (PDF/A). The management board is composed of executives from callas software GmbH, Compart AG, intarsys consulting GmbH, LuraTech Europe GmbH, PDF Tools AG (CH), PDFlib GmbH and SEAL Systems AG. Within less than three years, more than 100 companies and various experts from about 20 countries have joined the PDF/A Competence Center. The executive chairman is Harald Grumser, CEO of Compart AG, Dr. Hans Baerfuss, CEO of PDF Tools AG, Switzerland, is the executive vice-chairman.